This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Hear that?
Neither do the residents along Salt Lake City's main railroad corridor, who rejoiced Friday that the omnipresent train howls have been virtually hushed.
As of 12:01 a.m. Friday, a "quiet zone" took effect along the 38-mile Front-Runner and Union Pacific spines between Utah's capital and Ogden.
The rule ends decades of disturbance from freight trains which - until now - were required to sound horns a quarter-mile before and after every crossing. It also silences the FrontRunner squawks, which now sound only if people or cars are trespassing near the tracks.
"I guess we had to make a little noise to do it," said Ed Aho, who complained publicly this week from his motor-service shop at 14 N. 600 West. "They all read the paper."
Aho said Friday afternoon he had not heard the horns since opening his shop at 8 a.m.
The quiet zone applies to all trains on the corridor and is the longest such stretch in the nation, according to Utah Transit Authority spokeswoman Carrie Bohnsack-Ware.
"The feds just told us it was official," she said Friday.
Woods Cross Mayor Kent Parry led 14 other cities through the quiet-zone-application process with the Federal Railroad Administration. Safety measures, including signs and gates, had to be placed at each grade crossing.
Steve Meyer, UTA manager of FrontRunner design and construction, said the improvements were made because about 60 commuter trains a day will roar along the corridor.
"This quiet zone is one of many benefits that this project is bringing to the citizens of Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties," Meyer said. "We are proud of the leadership shown by the corridor cities to make this quiet zone possible."
Zoe Richmond, spokeswoman for Union Pacific, said the railroad will waste no time informing its engineers. "Our priority is to educate our employees to let them know the new quiet zones are in effect."
Initially, the no-horn rule was slated for January. That was delayed until April 21 once UTA and Union Pacific realized safety measures still were lacking at certain crossings.
With the precautions in place, all that was left was paperwork, which wrapped up Friday.
"I'm feeling a whole lot better," Aho sighed. "My ears are starting to pop."